Vanguard UP-Rise 33 Photo Bag

Photo answers review

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Photoanswers Review: Vanguard’s UP-Rise 33 is a photo shoulder bag that sits between the smaller UP-Rise 28 and larger UP-Rise 38 in the range. Designed with an instant access press top, you can access your kit quickly when the bag is on your shoulder for any spur of the moment shots. When you’re not using the press top you can pull down a magnetic flap to prevent anyone attempting to open it when you’re in busy, high risk urban areas. The other entry point is via the front flap, which is secured by Velcro and a fastex buckle. To access the bag’s pockets you need to open the bag from the front. One of the pockets is lined with a soft material, making it an ideal for storing valuable accessories such as filters.

There’s plenty of space behind the largest pockets for memory cards and battery chargers and in-between you’ll find an elasticated detachable raincover, handy when the weather deterioriates, and it can be thrown over the bag in seconds. Best of all the straps remain accessible, so you’ll have no problems carrying the bag with the shoulder strap when a torrential downpour puts an end to your shoot.

The bright orange interior is synonymous with the UP-Rise series and we’ve seen it before in other bags like the UP-Rise 48 backpack that picked up a Digital Photo Gold Award. The high-visibility interior makes it a bit easier to locate your kit when working in gloomy lighting and the internal dividers are thicker than most to offer a high-level of protection for expensive items. We managed to fit a Canon 5D and 70-200mm f/4 in the centre space, filling the two areas either side with a 100-400mm f/4 and 24-105mm f/4 lenses. There was more room for a few more accessories and we even managed to cram in a flashgun, but if you need to squeeze in more lenses, you’ll want to look at the UP-Rise 38.

There’s a laptop compartment suitable for 13in laptops, but if you want to expand the bag with the underside zipper it’ll give you a bit more room to manoeuvre with all the kit inside.

Fully loaded, we experienced no problems with the bag was on a shoulder. There’s no additional padding on the strap but this didn’t seem to be an issue as the weight inside was equally distributed. The mesh padding on the inside of the bag cushioned it against our side on the move and the four rubber feet at the bottom ensured the bag stood upright when it was put down.

The Vanguard UP-Rise 33 is a superbly designed shoulder bag, with all the spaces, pockets and padding you’ll need for daily use. The capacity might not be large enough for you if you have a pro-spec D-SLR or an enthusiast body with a battery pack attached, so we’d recommend you take a look at its bigger brother, the UP-Rise 38 which is only £10 more expensive and features 380x105x280mm internal dimensions.

Photoanswers Rating: 5

Technical Specification:

External Measurements:390x225x360mm
Internal Measurements: 330x105x280mm
Weight: 1545g
Weatherproof: Yes
Rain Guard: Yes
Expandable: Yes
Colour: Black with orange trim
Laptop Compartment: Yes